KI: The Verge of Chaos
by brawlingwolf
Summary: It wasn't long before Pit was thrust back into a battle to protect the world. But when a force unknown to him overwhelms Skyworld and captures Palutena, he finds he has little choice but to follow the path his goddess left him to save her and the world. It quickly becomes apparent, though, that he'll be on his own this time: No goddess will be able to help him. [Separate from OWLD]
1. Chapter I: Invasion

**Author's Note: **Welcome to another installment of "Brawlingwolf has way too many ideas!" Finally, I get to present to you a new _Kid Icarus_ story that has honestly been on my mind since "Praelium Pondera." This story follows a different "canon" than OWLD, but is still a sequel to Uprising. Honestly, it was based on an idea of what it would be like if the KI series had an installment that was more overworld-based or exploratory, like _The Legend of Zelda _or _Kingdom Hearts._ So, yes, it's linear, but... Well, go ahead and read it. I don't know how to explain it briefly.  
Anyway, this chapter is a bit short for my tastes. But I promise they'll get longer. I should also probably mention that this story does not include any foreseeable pairings.

Anyway. Welcome to _The Verge of Chaos_!

* * *

Night had fallen over Skyworld, blanketing it in peace save the Centurions out patrolling. The stars shone and sparkled overhead and the waxing half moon cast its pale light over the floating islets. The air was warm with summer breezes and the grasses grew in rich, green colors. The springs bubbled and gurgled softly, contributing to the solitude of the heavens.

The goddess that ruled over the realm had allowed her captain to retire to his chamber after a long day of training and assessing the repairs that had been made since the day he defeated the lord of the Underworld. He had been rather heavily injured in the battle with Hades, yet he never lost his smile that bordered on goofy and his sense of optimism. He had recovered well with the goddess's help and made it known regularly how grateful he was to her. He kept up his duties as captain and made sure the Centurions didn't start lagging behind simply because of the peace they had been fighting for in the span of over three years.

Now, Pit was nestled into his bed, curled on his side and his covers drawn tight over his body. He sighed as he fell into sleep, his eyes closed peacefully and his hair falling slightly into his face.

But, despite the warmth of the air and of his covers, a shiver passed through his body.

"Pit..." he opened his eyes and found himself somewhere in Skyworld, or so he thought. The clouds around him told him he was still in his home realm, but he didn't recognize the area nor the entrance carved into the rocks of the islet he stood on. On either side of it was a carving of Palutena, confusing him as to why he had never been here previously.

Adding to his lack of understanding was the sight of the goddess herself standing just in front of the entrance. She was dressed in a simple white gown with no jewelry or armor. She had neither her staff nor her shield, and she lacked her crown around her head. Nevertheless, he kneeled and lowered his head briefly.

"There's no time for that, Pit," she scolded gently. "Get up."

"Huh?" He scrambled back to his feet. "Lady Palutena, what's wrong?"

"Our peace is about to shatter," she said rather dully. "Pit... I need you to promise me something."

"Anything," he said quickly, though he flinched under her dark, sobering, and serious gaze.

"No matter what happens, you'll keep going, Pit. You'll do whatever it takes to save our world, even if it means putting something else above my safety. You must consider all parts of this world, not just Light." He stared at her.

"W-What do you mean?!" he demanded. "I'm the captain of your guard, Lady Palutena! I HAVE to put your safety first!"

"Pit," she said firmly, "As your goddess, I am ordering you to do whatever it takes to see our world survive. Do not let it fall into the hands of chaos. If you try to save me, you will not survive." He blinked.

"Then I'll gladly die trying to protect you!" he argued. "I won't leave you, Lady Palutena!"

"Pit, you have to!" she insisted, driving a spike of grief through his being. "If you live to fight another day, then we'll have a chance. I've seen it. But if you carelessly throw yourself into defensive battle, then you'll be killed. You don't have the strength or power to win this battle. But if you wait and gather what you will need to obtain that power, you'll have the chance to be the victor." Finally, her tone softened and she smiled. "You'll be able to again prove yourself my champion. You'll be able to bring back the peace we've all suffered for. Do you understand me, Pit?" He remained silent for a moment and swallowed, trying to gather his thoughts and find his sense of optimism.

"I understand," he nodded. "As your captain, I'll follow your orders and do everything I can to see you safe when the time comes. I swear that I will win. I WILL defeat whatever it is threatening you and our world!"

"Thank you, Pit," she smiled softly. "That's all I ask, even if it is a heavy burden. But I know that if anyone can do it, it's you."

"I won't let you down, Lady Palutena," he vowed.

"I know, Pit," she agreed solemnly. "Now, I need you to-"

The angel jerked awake at the sound of an explosion and threw himself out of bed, stumbling as he attempted to pull on his boots and run at the same time. He grabbed the weapon nearest him in the small arsenal Palutena allowed him to keep in his chamber for such an emergency: A Lancer Staff. He plowed through a few roused Centurions and skidded around the corner until he was outside, his heart sprinting in his chest as he watched such strange and ominous... whatever it was... shrouding his home. His instinct set him toward Palutena's Temple, but he came to a screeching halt as he recalled his dream. Was this what the goddess had been trying to warn him about?

"Wah!" he ducked as a blast of energy shot over his head, and he peered through the shrouds in an attempt to see his assailant. Unfortunately, the odd, dark, faded colors of whatever it was blocked his vision, and he took another shot straight to the chest. He landed on his back with a huff and pain shot through his wings, but he sprung himself back to his feet.

"Captain!" A Centurion called, and he scanned around until he found a squad of Centurion Knights coming toward him. "Your orders, sir!" Pit took a breath in an attempt to refill his lungs, his mind whirling to process everything going on around you.

"Lady Palutena!" he finally barked. "Get to Lady Palutena's temple! Now!"

"But, Captain, what about-"

"NOW!" he growled, and they all departed quickly. He turned around just in time to receive another blow, this one to his stomach, and he coughed as his breath was again stolen from his body. Something lashed out and knocked him back, and he scrambled to stay on his feet as he fired his staff blindly into the darkness around him. Whether it hit anything, he couldn't be sure, but again something else managed to strike and sent him skidding. Panting, he could taste something rustic and salty in his mouth as he again fired and lashed his weapon out, but it didn't hit anything. He felt adrenaline slamming through his veins, panicking him as he lost sight of the sky around him. Whatever it was, whatever was causing this, had him overwhelmed, and he was at a loss on what to do to fight back.  
Palutena needed him to survive. He knew that much, but he was quickly doubting his chances of doing so. Again, his unseen adversary lashed out and knocked him back.

Right over the edge of the islet he stood on, and he quickly found himself plummeting with nothing below to slow or stop his fall. Nothing but the earth so far below.  
"Lady Palutena!" he cried out, hoping that somehow she would be able to save him. But the only thing that came out after him was the same strike that had sent him tumbling, and he blacked out once it again hit his body.


	2. Chapter II: An Explanation

_I'm finished, _Pit thought to himself. _Dead. Done. No more. Where's that dang Reaper? _He thought, what with all the Reapettes in his last two adventures, that they would be beside themselves with glee to finally grab his soul and drag it to the Underworld. Maybe they were still fighting with themselves over who would actually be the one to claim him. But none came, and he still felt pain. But he'd been falling with no one to save him. He should be dead, right?

He opened one eye a crack, followed by the other as he found himself staring at a warm brown ceiling with vines reaching up and across it.

"O-kay...?" he mumbled, confused and disoriented as he sat up, and his face blushed as he realized he was bare from the waist up save a few bandages over his wounds. His hair was damp, like he'd been bathing not too long ago. "Where am I?" He glanced around as he fixed his tunic over his bandages and found his staff leaning against the wall, and he grabbed it quickly before departing the room.

Not long after, it quickly became apparent that he was in Viridi's temple somewhere on the Overworld- the warm reds, browns, and golds among the foliage was enough to tell him that. He continued in silence until he came to her central chamber, where he found the goddess of Nature speaking with one of her top commanders- the Lightning Flash, Phosphora. They both turned toward him as he approached.

"Oh, so the sleeping prince awakens!" Viridi scoffed, and Phosphora smirked at her side. "It's about time. I was starting to think you'd actually managed to get yourself killed."

"What happened?" he wondered as he came to stand a few paces away from them. Viridi's humorous nature faded, and her tone softened.

"Skyworld was invaded, but I assume you already know that. Phosphora here saw the attack and your falling over the edge. I ordered her to bring you back here."

"So you owe me one!" the Lightning Flash snapped, and Pit blinked. "You're heavier than you look. Yeesh!"

"Uh... thanks," Pit muttered, still distracted by the memory of the attack on his homeland. "So... Skyworld really is... Lady Palutena is in danger! I have to get back there!"

"Huh uh!" Viridi interrupted, placing one hand on her hip while the other held her staff. "You go back to Skyworld, and you'll just get a repeat of what happened last night. And I may decide not to save you this time." She fell silent.

"You might as well give up," Phosphora advised, resting her arms behind her head. "There's no way some puny chicken like you can stop-"

"SHUSH!" Viridi hissed, silencing her commander before turning her attention back to the angel. "Sorry, Pit, but you're on your own. Much as I know you're probably worried sick and want to throw yourself head first into danger- again- I can't help you. I don't want what attacked you to come here after me!"

"Seriously?!" Pit demanded, anger boiling in his core. "So you're going to let Lady Palutena suffer and lose Skyworld because you're afraid of what might happen? What if it happens anyway? Fight back now!" He clenched his fists and grit his teeth.

"Look, I get you're upset," the goddess continued, "But I can't, Pit. I wouldn't dare risk my Children, Phosphora, Arlon, any of them against this."

"You can't even tell me what 'this' is?" he inquired, and she shook her head. He sighed heavily and looked down. "Fine. That's great." He looked back up, glaring at Viridi, and she only glared back. "I've made it to Skyworld on my own before. Whether I have help or not, I'm saving Lady Palutena!" He fell silent as he recalled his dream. "She said I need power- er, I need to find something that'll give me power." Again, he sighed, defeat crashing over him. "But what is that something?! What am I supposed to do if I don't know what it is I'm looking for?"  
"You're looking for the physical embodiments of the elements that make up our world," Viridi replied.

"I mean, I don't even know where to start. I- wait." He stopped. "What?"  
"Stop clucking and listen to me for a second," she scolded, and he remained silent. "Skyworld wasn't the first place this thing attacked, but it'll probably be the most heavily guarded. It's probably looking for you, Pit, knows you're the only one who'll openly oppose it simply because you're willing to die for Palutena."  
"Gladly," he mumbled.

"Exactly," Viridi nodded. "But here's the thing, Pit. You don't mean squat to the Celestial Balance." He blinked. "That's why you can oppose this thing. Sure, you fight for it, but you don't actually hold or defend any part of it. That's why I can't fight." She paused and her gaze lost focus. "I'm arguably the only one this thing hasn't gotten to yet, especially since Hades and Medusa are down for the count thanks to you. And Pyrrhon, now that I think about it." She chuckled and eyed him curiously. "You're good at killing gods. You know that?"  
"Er..." He didn't have the slightest idea of how to reply to that.

"Whatever. Okay, let me explain." She turned to Phosphora. "Do me a favor and scout out Skyworld, will you?" Phosphora snorted and shrugged. "Keep your distance, though. I just want to know what's going on up there."

"Of course," Phosphora nodded, though her tone was far from sincere. "Be back soon." She winked at Pit, making a blush form on his face, before departing quickly.

"Anyway," Viridi went on as she turned back to the angel. "I'll tell you everything I can, Pit. I'll help you get on the right path. I'll even give you a place to rest when you need it- and you're going to need it. But don't expect any help in battle. And if I think my helping you is putting me and my Children in danger, then I'm pulling back."  
"Understood," he nodded. "I'll take whatever you can offer. So what's up with these elements?"

"Again, let me explain," she snapped, and he silenced himself. "Okay. This world is made up of many different elements, but there are six that are the most prominent: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Light, and Darkness. Take out these, and everything falls to pieces. And if you've got control of all of them, then you've basically got the world in your hands."

"So I need to get the power of those elements in order to challenge whatever it is that attacked Skyworld?"

"Will you stop interrupting?!" she demanded, and he mumbled a quick "sorry" before she continued. "I'm getting to that. So each element has a... well, an avatar, if you will- a form it takes that guards it as a whole, kind of a fail-safe in case something happened to the gods and goddesses whose power is linked to that element. Like I said, you managed to destroy Medusa, more or less, and send Pyrrhon to the other side of the galaxy, and now Palutena is down for the count." He swallowed his fears and continued to listen. "So these elemental forms are basically the last line of defense for what they embody.

"But it goes beyond that. There are six sanctums, if you will, scattered around the world- one for each element. And unless someone has already gotten their paws on it, each one houses the physical embodiment of the element's power. It's kind of like a charm. Get that charm, and you can borrow that element's power and use it- I think."

"You THINK?!"

"Oh, shut it!" she snapped again as he tried to calm down. "It's not exactly clear how they work- probably to prevent something like the whole thing with the Wish Seed from happening. Some say each element is independent and can be used that way, and others say you need all six charms to actually unlock their power. Either way, you'll need all of them if you want to fight this thing and save Palutena."

"I see," he nodded. "So where are the sanctums?"

"Let's see if I can remember..." she muttered, her eyes losing focus in thought. "Well, some of them are easy: Darkness is in the Underworld, Light is in Skyworld, and Fire is over near Phoenix Mountain." He groaned. "Then Water is... well, underwater. Can you swim?"

"Uh... I think so," he admitted. "I haven't exactly gone swimming recently."

"Well, you better learn!" She sighed. "Anyway. Earth and Wind are both around different mountain ranges. But Wind is in the peaks while Earth will probably have you actually go inside the mountains."

"Great," he muttered. "This isn't gonna be easy, is it?"  
"Nope!" She smiled. "If you were expecting it to be, then you're in for a rough surprise. Anyway, I suggest you go to the Earth Sanctum first. After you're done there, I'll show you the place you can use as your base."

"Why not just show me now?" he wondered.

"Because you'll be more pumped to finish up in the Earth Sanctum if you can't just retreat whenever you feel like it!" The logic didn't exactly make sense to him, but he decided not to question it.

"Okay, okay," he sighed. "And let me guess. I'm walking."

"Yep!" she agreed. "Here's hoping you can get through without getting yourself killed."

"Right..." he shook his head. "Alright. Let me get ready, then I'm out of here." She nodded.

"By the way, you've only got that staff on you, right?" He looked at his Lancer Staff for a moment before returning his gaze to her and nodding. "Hm. I hope you find some other stuff on the road. So get moving! I want you out of my temple and on the road before the hour is up!"

"I'm going, I'm going!" he replied before hurrying back toward the room he'd woken up in, his brain working hard to process everything she'd told him. At least he had either her or Palutena's help when he was fighting Hades. Now, from the sound of it, he would be on his own with maybe a few pointers from the goddess of Nature to keep him going in the right direction. Collecting these elemental charms was not going to be an easy task, but he knew he had little choice in the matter. He would rescue Palutena.

Or die trying.


	3. Chapter III: Into the Earth

"Why couldn't I have claws or a bow or something?" Pit complained as he continued walking, sweat beading on his forehead while the sun's rays beat down on him. His staff certainly was powerful, and he was grateful for that. But with its strength and long range came a weight that slowed him down considerably, and it was all he could do to brace the weapon over his shoulders to support it better and continue on.

He'd been walking through the grassy fields for several hours now, the only relief coming from having to wade through a shallow river, and that was close to an hour previous. What didn't help him, however, was the beginning of the foothills at the base of the mountain he was heading toward. His legs were screaming as he trekked up the inclines that steadily got steeper as he went, and he finally surrendered and sat down to rest in the shade of a welcome tree.

"Please tell me I'm almost there," he panted.

"At least you're not complaining nearly as much as you did before you fought the Chariot Master," Viridi teased. "But YES, you're almost there. And you'd better be ready to fight once you get there! I doubt getting to the element will be easy."

"Of course not," he gasped. "Man... at least Lady Palutena would leave snacks for me. I'm starving."

"Well, I'm not Palutena!" the goddess of Nature snapped. "So get over yourself, suck it up, and get moving!"

"Okay, okay!" He sprung himself back to his feet and continued on toward the mountain, towing his weapon along with him. He stumbled down a slope and found himself facing a large entrance that yawned at him, and he frowned as he tried to peer into the darkness. Around the entrance itself were carvings in the mountain itself depicting forms he didn't recognize, but their strength was easily seen even in their soft features. "Uh, I'm guessing this is it."

"No, this is a dairy farm that produces magic milk," Viridi replied sarcastically. "Get going!"

"Can you go five minutes without some snarky comment?" the angel inquired somewhat sharply, but wasn't really expecting an answer. He shook his head and readied his weapon, then slid down the slope into the sanctum.

Despite the darkness of the entrance, it was quite warm and well-lit inside, and all of the earthen structures were warm browns, cool grays, and gold and amber made them sparkle. Pit whistled, taken off guard by the beauty of the carvings in the rock itself. Any good feeling it gave him, however, faded as he noticed the many different passages, locks, and mechanisms that seemed to point toward a platform quite a way above his head.

"If I could fly, this would be a lot easier," he mumbled. But, of course, he couldn't, and he sighed as he started for the passage nearest him. He squeezed himself between two boulders, thankful he wasn't bringing a club or arm with him, and continued down the rock path until he came to a room with a narrow rock bridge from one side to the other, a seemingly bottomless pit on either side of it. "Viridi?"  
"Yes?"  
"Why does this place keep taunting me?" he complained, stretching his wings for a moment.

"Not my fault you can't fly!" she replied lightly. "Seriously, though, why can't you?"

"Butt out!" he snapped, gritting his teeth.

"Okay, okay! Sorry! Sheesh." He rolled his eyes and carefully stepped forward, stepping one foot in front of the other. Unfortunately, he heard a crack as soon as he placed his weight on the bridge itself, and panic shot through him.

"Maybe you should lose some weight," Viridi remarked.

"Har har," he sighed and took another step forward, and the rock continued to crack under him. "Agh!" He tore forward, barely keeping his balance as the bridge crumbled under his weight. "No, no, no!" he cried out, lashing out one hand that, thankfully, managed to catch the cliff on the other side. He swallowed, his eyes wide and blank with fear, as he hung there, his heart hammering in his chest, his fingers digging into the dirt as he clung to it for dear life. "O-Okay, I can do this..." With a heave, he threw his staff onto the cliff and pulled himself up, his feet scraping against the rock until he got himself back to solid ground.

After a few deep breaths to assure he was still alive, he picked up his weapon and slowly made his way down the next passage. It emerged into a large, spiraling staircase heading up, and he frowned as he saw gaps between them. Grumbling about his inability to fly, he started up the stairs with his staff dragging at his side.

"Watch out, Pit!" Viridi warned.

"Huh? Whoa!" He ducked as a shot of energy flew over his head, and he looked further up the stairs to find some sort of shadowy creature with four limbs and glowing blank eyes that shifted between almost every color imaginable. It opened what appeared to be a mouth, its lips, or whatever they were, dripping with dark purple ooze. Again, it fired a bright shot of energy, and the angel rolled forward to evade it. Without asking questions, he retaliated with his staff, but frowned as it remained standing. Or, rather, standing as much as it could while it was hunched over. Pit dodged another shot from it and answered with one of his own, rolling to the side as he did so, and this one managed to dispatch it.

"What was that thing?" he wondered as it evaporated into a substance like the one that had shrouded Skyworld before disappearing entirely.

"I wish I knew," Viridi replied. "But whatever it is, it doesn't like you, and it probably has friends. Hurry up, Pit, or they may get to the element before you do!"

"But what would they want with it?" he asked, puzzled, as he continued up the stairs and leapt over the gaps.

"I told you earlier: Get the elements, you get the world. That thing was probably connected to the thing that attacked Skyworld."

"Oh. I knew that."

"Uh huh." He continued on up, only to be ambushed by another two of the creatures. He dodged their fire and attacked with his own, thankful that his weapon did have the range it had. He never would have been able to defeat them with claws or even a blade.

"I'll grant they seem a lot tougher than the Underworld baddies," Viridi remarked as he continued up and reached another passage. "Good thing that staff of yours is so strong."

"I wish it was a little lighter, though," he said dully as he switched out which arm was carrying it and hoped he wouldn't run into an ambush. A few moments later, he found himself back in the central chamber where he had come in, the platform above still way too high for him to reach on his own. Even further above it was a metal sheet hanging from the ceiling, and his eyes followed its ropes and chains to a mechanism on another landing.

"Hmph." He aimed his weapon and fired at the mechanism, but it had no effect.

"You know, sometimes shooting blindly ISN'T the best idea," Viridi said flatly, and he sighed.

"I figured it wouldn't hurt!" he snapped back, his patience with the goddess quickly running out as he made his way around a narrow cliff and to another corridor. "Hey, it didn't break, right?"

"Whatever. Just keep going." He did, but had little desire to follow her orders. The path he found himself on was a steep incline, and it took practically crawling on his hands and knees with his feet braced against the surface to scale it- not an easy task while he was carrying his weapon.

"Oh, great," he sighed as he came to the next room, and he could barely see the rock beneath his feet among all the strange monsters waiting for him. Red, pink, purple, green, blue, yellow, and eyes of almost every other conceivable color watched him, disorienting him. "Okay, come on, slimeballs! Show me what you've got!" None of them attacked, but instead somehow melted together to take on a more solid form resembling a human-like creature with abnormally long limbs and claws nearly as long as one sword of Palutena's Bow. As if to taunt him, it sprouted dripping, ghastly wings that almost sickened him to look at.

"The Underworld Army can't do that," he blurted, gripping his staff. This new creature held itself straight and proud, not unbalanced and hunched over like the things that had created it. And before he could even think about processing it, one of its arms whipped out and struck him across the chest and knocked his breath away as he fell back. He grunted as the arm-turned-whip wrapped itself around his ankle and wasted no time in throwing him against the rock wall, and he lost the grip on his weapon as he fell to the floor, stunned and disoriented as he fought against blacking out.

"Jeez, Pit, are you okay?!" Viridi demanded, sounding genuinely distraught at seeing him like that.

"...Ow..." he groaned and rolled over, heaving himself back up. Almost immediately, however, it grabbed him around the waist and pain wracked his body once it slammed against the rock again. It didn't give him any reprieve this time as it again grabbed his ankle and hoisted him into the air, and he found himself hanging upside down as his laurel crown clattered to the floor and his dizzied gaze met the monster's. "Y-you don't fight fair," he gasped. The monster opened its mouth, dripping like the minions that had created it, and it let out a gargled screech as if to answer him before throwing him to the ground again.

"I-I don't know..." he mumbled as his mind tried to force his body back up. "If I'm gonna get out of this one..."

"You can and you will!" Viridi practically yelled. "Get up! Fight back! Get your weapon and kill that thing!"

"Just... give me..." _One minute..._ he finished mentally once he decided that he simply didn't have the energy to give the words voice. He felt immobilized, and panicked as the monster grabbed him again, this time around his leg, and hoisted him back into the air.

"Pit!" Viridi cried out, and he shook his head as he again found the monster staring at him once he managed to open his eyes. And, somehow, an idea managed to make it through the haze his mind had been cast into. Though his body protested against the movement, he curled himself up and grabbed his opponent's arm just as it tried to throw him again. His legs were thrust out, but he held on, and finally managed to drop back to his feet. The monster screeched again, angered at being outwitted, and attempted to catch him again, but he dashed to the side- through the howls of pain his limbs used to protest- until he picked up his weapon and fired as soon as he had it aimed in the creature's direction. The impact didn't last long, but it was enough, and he rushed forward as another idea formulated itself in his head.

He dodged its arm once again, this time as it tried to claw at him, and he fired as he ran and rolled to the side. As soon as his feet reached the ground again, he pushed himself forward and drove the front end of his staff right into the monster's slimy form. With a deep breath, he released one final charged shot, and the monster gurgled for a moment before exploding, sending dark goop flying in all directions. Pit remained standing in a defensive position, his staff at the ready, until all of it had evaporated before he collapsed to the ground, panting.

"That was... hard..." he gasped, resting his head back as he tried to mentally assess the damage his body had sustained.  
"But you're alive," Viridi pointed out. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Just... give me a moment." She said nothing else as he continued to lie there, spread out across the rock with his staff still gripped tight in his hand. He remained that way for quite some time as he grappled with his injuries before he finally managed to heave himself to his feet.

"Better?" the goddess wondered, sounding truly concerned.

"I think so," he agreed. "Though I could really use a Hot Spring right about now."

"Keep going and I think you'll find one," she replied, bringing a weak smile to his face.

"Then I've got no time to lose, huh?" He half walked, half limped forward and scooped his laurel crown off the ground, placing it among his messy brown locks before he headed for the next passage.


	4. Chapter IV: Liberation

Though every step caused a new throb in his legs, Pit continued on through the Earth Sanctum and made his way through another passage, his staff dragging in the dirt behind him. He prayed that, somehow, he wouldn't run into another ambush. He quickly realized he didn't have the option of getting himself finished anymore: No goddess would save him, seeing as Palutena had been captured and Viridi seemed to have no desire to budge on her lack of granting him any actual aid.

He sighed and stretched his shoulders, sending pain through them and his back, but continued walking through the rock corridor until he reached another chamber. Puzzled, he glanced around to find an empty rut of sorts running around its perimeter, the next passage blocked by a heavy metal gate. He looked into the crevice to find several large wheels resembling gears and frowned.

"I'm guessing I have to do something with these," he muttered and glanced around to find a metal sheet hanging on the wall, and the rock itself was streaked a darker shade of brown underneath. He made his way over to it and brushed his fingers over the streaks to find water. After thinking for a moment, his face lit up with an idea. "Okay... I just need to get this metal thing off... right?" He pursed his lips and looked up to find a gem hanging from the ceiling, colored a bright milky white. "Hey, Viridi?"  
"Can't you do anything by yourself?" she grumbled. "I've got problems to deal with too, you know."

"Okay, okay, never mind," he sighed. "Just figured I'd take your advice and not just randomly shoot this time." He knew his body couldn't handle springing a trap designed to harm him.

"Well, you got anything better to do?" the goddess inquired.

"Guess not," he said glumly and pointed his staff at the crystal above, then fired. The shot traveled quickly and was absorbed into its target as soon as it made contact, and he heard some sort of mechanical whirring noise. He turned back to the metal sheet to find it cranking open, and water began gushing out- much more than he expected. It poured into the crevice and flowed quickly through, turning the wheels to pull the gate open. He smiled and headed through once he was sure it was clear.

"Careful!" Viridi advised. "You have enemies waiting for you up ahead."

"Thanks for the warning!" he replied as he dodged the fire of a waiting monster. In addition to the first little things he'd encountered, there were several worm-like creatures as well made of the same substance. They hissed at him and reared up, then snapped forward like an angered snake. Though he managed to avoid one, the other struck his leg and left what appeared to be a bite mark once he shook it off. "Oh, groooooooss!" he complained and knocked it away with his staff before firing and finishing it. With a mix of dash shots and evasion, he picked off the others and looked around the chamber. "I hope those things aren't poisonous or something."

"Venomous," Viridi corrected. "Things like that are venomous. Things like plants or frogs or ones that are toxic when you eat them are poisonous."  
"Whatever!" he sighed. "I don't really care."

"Hmph!" she scoffed. "Just thought I'd enlighten you with a little knowledge." He ignored her and moved on, coming to another incline that he trekked up even as his limbs continued protesting. Finally, he reached the central chamber again and frowned as he realized he was on the wrong side from the gate.

"Okay, now what?" He'd hit a dead end, found no other paths that he could take. He looked around and found another cliff just out of his jumping range. "Great. I probably have to get there, don't I?"

"I think there's another mechanism on it," Viridi agreed. "If I'm right, and I probably am, it'll trigger the gate and should lower that metal sheet on the ceiling so you can get across. How you'll get to it, however, I don't know."

"Wonderful," he groaned. "Let's see..." All he had was his staff, and there didn't seem to be anything useful to shoot.

Wait.

His staff?  
Pit stared at the weapon for a moment as another idea managed to formulate in his head. He stepped forward to the very edge of his cliff, trying to avoid looking down as he reached his staff out with both arms. With a grunt, he drove one end of it into the rock face and tugged on it a bit to assure it would stay. Sure enough, it did.

"Dare I ask what you're doing?" Viridi wondered.

"Something stupid," he replied and backed up several paces, then sprinted forward through the ache in his limbs and launched himself, planting his feet briefly on the staff and springing off of it. He rolled onto the other cliff and couldn't contain his laughter, a mix of relief and disbelief that it actually worked. He pulled a lever on the mechanism he found, and a moment later the metal platform from the ceiling lowered as the gate opened.

"Wow," Viridi said bluntly. "That was actually kind of cool. But how are you going to get your weapon back?" His pleased feeling at his accomplishment faded.

"Uh..." Even if she wasn't actually present, he could imagine her rolling her eyes and sighing heavily. He turned back to the staff and stared at it. "No problem! I've got an idea."  
"This should be good," she muttered. He took a deep breath and leaped at it, allowing himself to fall a slight bit short. His hands grabbed the staff and he swung himself toward the first cliff, building up his momentum before finally launching himself toward it, pulling the staff out and landing less than gracefully as he rolled to the side to avoid any further injury to his wings. "Yeah," he said once he was back on his feet. "Like that."

"You're crazy, you know that, Pit?" she chuckled. "But whatever. You've got it, so get going!"

"Right." He turned back to the metal sheet and jumped onto it, steadying himself as it swung to the side a bit. "A gate that impressive and hard to get to has to have something important behind it!" Viridi snorted, but said nothing, and he jumped to the other cliff before proceeding through the gate.

He came to a large chamber with several misshapen dips in the ground, making for some rather uneven footing. On the other side appeared to be another tunnel, and he could smell fresh air flowing in from it.

"Didn't you promise me a Hot Spring?" he complained as he stepped forward.

"I said I thought there might be one!" she snapped back. "Sorry. I guess I was wrong."

"I was really looking forward to it..." He shook his head and continued on until he heard something of a rumble. He stopped. "What was that? Augh!" he grunted as the ground below him suddenly started shaking, and cracks in the ground formed before the odd, smoky substance like the stuff that had attacked Skyworld shot out. He readied his staff as he watched it carefully, adrenaline shooting through his body as it collected above, forming into a burly creature that watched him with blood-red eyes that shifted to other shades of red, but not to other colors like its minions did. He stumbled as it dug its razor-sharp claws into the ground, causing it to shake.

"What, are you the boss?" the angel asked with a challenging smile on his face. "Alright! I have an issue with whatever's commanding you, but I can take it out on you first!" He redistributed his weight to lighten his steps and sprung to the side as it lashed out at him. "That all you got?!" he yelled at it as he rushed forward and released a charged shot that hit it in what he assumed was its chest. It glared at him and threw forth several rocks, and Pit's eyes flew wide as he rolled forward and flattened himself against the ground as one passed hairs over him. Once he was sure his heart hadn't stopped, he jumped back to his feet and focused his energy, casting a power into his staff to charge its shots almost instantly. He fired at his opponent's head, and it strangely and seemingly fell apart before sealing back together.

"I don't like you," the angel said flatly as he ran to the side to dodge another boulder being thrown at him. It quickly lashed out its other arm, however, and struck him, knocking him to the ground as his injuries from the previous fight complained rather violently. Gritting his teeth and swallowing his pain, he forced himself back to his feet and fired again, hitting his opponent and causing it to again fall apart briefly before coming back together. But with each time, its form became less defined, more like the goo that made up its allies that had ambushed him earlier. But with that came its ability to lash out more unpredictably, and it wasn't long before Pit found himself sitting against the rock wall with pain shooting through his body.

"I don't think I can take much more..." he mumbled, but again got back to his feet. _But I've got to. I have to save Lady Palutena. _With that in mind, he dashed forward and fired shot after shot, narrowly avoiding the creatures limbs and the rocks thrown at him. Finally, as his heart pounded in his chest, he shouted and lunged back, letting loose one more shot that hit it square in the chest. It gurgled and seemed to melt, evaporating back into the smoke it came from before disappearing. The immediate threat having passed, Pit sat down with a plop as he tried to catch his breath, sweat making his face shine.

He watched curiously as water rushed forth from the cracks in the ground, steaming as it swept over his body and filled the dips in the earth. A laugh of relief escaped his throat as the waters of this new Hot Spring erased his pain and returned his energy to his body.

"See?" Viridi teased. "I told you there was a Hot Spring in here!"

"I would have preferred it BEFORE I fought that thing," he replied. Though his words were harsh, his tone was light, and the goddess laughed briefly. It faded, however, as a bright reddish-brown light appeared among the steam. It appeared similar to a human but had no distinguished features save the slight definition of a face, hands, feet, and a bit of shorter hair. It appeared neither male nor female.

"My thanks, Master Pit," it said, though the voice seemed to come from within Pit's head. "You performed admirably to stop that foul creature from stealing the essence of the Earth."

"Do you know what that thing was?" Pit wondered. "Where it came from? Who attacked Skyworld?"

"Would that I could, I'd gladly tell you, young angel. But your time is short. Should you save the other spirits, they will explain to you the threat you face." It held its hand out as a small object bearing an earthen symbol flashed into it. "For now, take this, the charm of the Earth, and you may use my power when you need it most." The charm floated over and Pit took it carefully, glancing at it for a moment before returning his gaze to the spirit. "Now, hurry, young master. You must go quickly."

"Alright," Pit nodded. "Thank you." The spirit appeared to smile for a moment before disappearing in flecks of light. Pit remained in the Hot Spring for a moment longer as he observed the charm. It felt heavy in his hand, strangely enough, and he felt oddly tethered to the earth underneath him.

"Not bad, Pit," Viridi remarked. "Now, seriously. Get going. No time to lose! And once you're out of here, I'll show you to the base you can use."

"Alright." He got back to his feet and stored the charm at the back of his belt. "Can I just get out through this tunnel?"  
"You should," she agreed. "So go!" He picked up his staff and set a quick pace through the tunnel, going through dim light before emerging into the partly cloudy sunlight among the mountains themselves. What he found there, however, confused him.

Several other monsters made of the same substance as the ones he'd been fighting in the Sanctum whirled around to face him, taking their attention away from what looked like a large glass container filled to the brim with a murky brown liquid. Whatever it was, it made him strangely ill, and distracted him until one of the monsters screeched and lashed out at him. Its claws raked against his leg and he leapt back, hitting it with his staff several times before turning and firing on another. After a few moments, they had dissipated and he found himself alone with the glass.

"So..." he mused. "Viridi? Any idea what this thing is?"

"Not a clue," she replied. "But I think they were guarding it. So do what you do best- destroy it and see what happens." He smirked for a moment as he gripped his staff, then approached the glass and thrust the weapon against it. A crack ran all across it, the liquid inside leaking out in spurts, and Pit jumped back just as the entire thing shattered. The liquid fell to the dirt along with a dark, motionless form that caught the angel entirely off guard.

This form was dressed in black trimmed in gold, with midnight hair and dark, shadowy teal wings. Yet his face was the same as Pit's, albeit bruised and unmoving. Pit's heart jumped with panic in his chest as he scrambled among the broken glass and liquid that ran across the dirt, sapping the life from the blades of grass nearby once it reached them. He knelt down at the former prisoner's side and shook him gently.

"Pittoo!" he yelled, but Dark Pit remained motionless and Pit wasn't entirely certain he was breathing. He was soaked by whatever it was that had been imprisoning him, his eyes closed and his body limp. "Pittoo?" Pit shook him again, this time more mindful of the cuts and bruises on his arms, face, legs. "Viridi! What's wrong with him?!"

"I don't know!" Viridi replied, panicked. "Um... I think he's alive, right? Take him back to the Hot Spring you just released. If anything, that should help him... I hope." Pit nodded and bit his lip, then lifted his darker counterpart as best he could and hoisted him over his shoulders.

"Hold on," Pit practically pleaded as he made his way slowly back inside, Dark Pit a limp weight on his back as he went. Once his feet had splashed into the water, he lowered his twin down carefully and sat down beside him, his eyes focused for any sign of life- a gasp, a flutter of eyelids, a groan, a twitch, anything.

"Did they do this to you?" he wondered quietly as he hoped the Hot Spring was working. Could they? Was his mysterious enemy truly so cunning as to even go after the independent dark angel without anyone noticing? Was it truly planning that far ahead, so Pit would have nowhere else to turn?

Despite the Hot Spring's warmth, a shiver went through his body at the thought.


	5. Chapter V: Confrontation

Even with the influence of the Hot Spring, it was quite some time before the dark angel stirred and groaned, blinking open his red eyes. Almost immediately, his left hand shot out in search of his bow as he sprung to his feet, his eyes burning and searching wildly for his assailants as he set himself in a defensive position. He spun around and had to stop his fist mid-punch before he processed he was looking at his lighter counterpart.

"Whoa, whoa, easy!" Pit urged, and Dark Pit stared at him for a moment longer.

"Pit?" he finally asked with guarded confusion.

"You'd know better than anyone," the white-winged angel replied, tapping his chest with one finger. "Relax. You're safe now." It took a moment, but Dark Pit seemed to accept this. He straightened up and relaxed his stance, crossing his arms as he observed his twin.

"Okay," he said gruffly. "Where are we? What are you doing here? And where are those stupid monsters that ambushed me?!"

"Uh..." Pit frowned. "So they really did catch you. Let me start at the beginning." He launched into his story, starting with the dream Palutena had sent him, detailing Skyworld's invasion as best he could, and explaining the situation with the Elements. "And I just got this Earth charm or whatever," he went on, pulling it out for Dark Pit to observe. "Viridi says she's going to show me to some place I can use a base to rest and recover." Dark Pit's expression remained stoic, but he nodded.

"Hmph." He shrugged. "Sounds like you've got your hands full. Well..." he smirked. "Those things made it personal, and I owe them a beating."  
"Pittoo?" The revival of the nickname earned him a scowl, but Dark Pit didn't openly protest. "What do you mean?"  
"I mean two Pits are better than one, right?" he pointed out. "Sounds like Viridi isn't helping you because she's a coward. Which I wish I could say surprised me. And if you go bounding off into the unknown without thinking like you usually do, I may find myself dead without even trying. So I gotta go along and cover your butt."

"I'd like the company," Pit agreed, knowing better now to find the hidden meaning behind his counterpart's words. "So maybe you can at least come with me to this new base?"

"Sure," Dark Pit nodded. "I wanna have a word with Viridi anyway."

"And you probably don't want to be wandering around out there without a weapon," Pit noticed, and his twin again shrugged. They headed back out the tunnel they had come in through and emerged into the cool night air as the moon began to rise over the horizon.

"About time!" Viridi snapped as they started away from the Sanctum. "Good to see you alive, Pittoo," she added.

"No thanks to you," the dark angel growled. "What the heck are you doing?!"  
"What's that supposed to mean?" the goddess demanded, and Pit flinched at the burning anger in Dark Pit's eyes.

"You're seriously sitting around doing nothing? Some part of me hoped Pit was exaggerating when he said you weren't giving him any aid in battle. You almost let him get killed!"  
"You're lucky I'm helping him at all!" Viridi retorted, and Dark Pit clenched his hands into tight fists. "I'm not attracting that thing that attacked Skyworld."

"Coward," Dark Pit shook his head. "Why are you so worried? That thing's gonna come after you anyway."

"What makes you so sure?" Viridi inquired sharply.

"One, that thing came after me. Two, it invaded Skyworld. Three, it's after the world as a whole since it wants these Elements. Four, you don't have a chance against it."

"Shut it!" the goddess growled. "I've got some of the best commanders and my Children are more competent than the Underworld freaks and your Centurions combined! I can handle-"

"No, you can't!" Dark Pit interrupted loudly. "You want to know how I know that? Because it managed to beat me _and_ Pit. He's single-handedly defeated your entire army. And you know I can do anything he can."

"Errrgh..." she groaned. "If I didn't need Pit to beat this thing, I'd drop you both right now."

"So you really do need me," Pit realized. "You know none of your commanders can beat it and you're afraid to try. So you're making me run around and do everything for you!"

"Shut it!" she snapped again. "Don't you want to save Palutena? This is the only way you can. So both of you, stop complaining and be glad I'm giving you any help at all!" Dark Pit rolled his eyes and Pit sighed.

"I guess she's right," the white-winged angel mumbled. He could tell Dark Pit wanted to disagree with him, but he held it back. "Okay, Viridi, can you just tell me where this base is? After that, I'll head for the next Sanctum."

"Fine," she said flatly. "Head northwest. Once you get there, I should probably send you to Phoenix Mountain since you won't survive there without my help anyway."

"Then let's just get moving," Dark Pit grumbled, starting in her indicated direction with Pit hurrying to catch up.

He stuck close to his twin, his staff held at the ready as they walked across the hills and into the field, bound for what was apparently a forest. The moon was just under half-way lit, and clouds wisped across it to obscure what pale light it did give them. The angels walked in silence, and Dark Pit kept the same brisk pace for quite some time. Pit had to admit, he was actually happy to have his twin's company again, especially since he hadn't seen the dark angel since he defeated Hades.

Even so, there seemed to be something of an awkwardness hanging over them. While he doubted Dark Pit completely despised partnering with him, there was something else there, some unspoken issue they hadn't resolved, and pondering it for a moment gave Pit an answer he couldn't argue with but didn't want to bring up, especially with Viridi likely watching them.

"So..." Dark Pit finally spoke up, like he couldn't take the silence any longer. "These things just attacked Skyworld out of nowhere, sent you tumbling, and Palutena specifically told you not to try to save her while they invaded."

"Pretty much," Pit agreed.

"And then you didn't see any of them until you got to the Sanctum where they ambushed you and almost killed you. Several times."

"Yeah."

"Not to mention they swarmed me and knocked me out, locked me in some sludge-filled glass prison, and we have no idea who they are or what they want."

"Basically."

"Wonderful..." Dark Pit sighed heavily. "Well, what do we know about them? Maybe that'll help lead us to some sort of answers."  
"Maybe," Pit nodded. "They're not anything I've ever fought before. They're definitely not Forces of Nature and I highly doubt they're from the Underworld, especially since Hades and Medusa are toast and I'm pretty sure we took out any of their other commanders." He frowned, counting off on his fingers. "Got Twinbellows, the Hewdraw, and Phosphora fried Thanatos, then Pandora..."

It seemed that despite his best efforts, he'd accidentally managed to bring up their problem anyway.

"She's finished," Dark Pit said rather dully. It seemed they both wanted to just move on, but the awkward tension in the air surrounding them wouldn't allow them to.

"You never did let me thank you," Pit finally said quietly, and they both came to a stop.

"You saved my life," Dark Pit replied. "Like a moron. I owed you. I repaid my debt. End of story. Not to mention if you died, I'd be done for anyway, and that would mean your... what you did would have been pointless."

"But still," Pit insisted. "I... I don't remember much of what happened. But I went after you because you had helped me. I wouldn't have gotten into the Chaos Vortex if you hadn't opened that rift."

"So, what, is this a battle of who owes what?" Dark Pit snorted. "Can we just forget it?"

"I doubt it," Pit said, catching his twin off guard. Dark Pit turned to face him with crossed arms and a steady gaze.

"We needed Palutena," he said flatly. "I just wanted to prove I wasn't your enemy. Get that out of the way, keep you from coming after me later. Not to mention I wanted to make sure you didn't get yourself killed."

"And I didn't! I don't know if I would have lasted without you. You helped me. You got me to where I needed to go to save Lady Palutena. I couldn't just let you die!"  
"Why not?!" Dark Pit snapped. "If you'd managed to get yourself killed, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. I didn't ask you to save me!" Pit remained steady and silent even as Dark Pit scowled at him, breathing heavily.

"Yes, you did," the white-winged angel finally said, and Dark Pit flinched. "'Help me.' That's the last thing I remember." They remained silent as the dark angel dropped his gaze. "And I don't regret answering that. I'm glad you and I are allies now, Pittoo. And I like to think of you as a friend." It was several moments before Dark Pit finally looked back up. His red eyes met Pit's blue gaze, his face serious and solemn. Without a word, he offered his hand, and Pit took it.

"Let's just start over. All that stuff before you got turned into a ring didn't happen. I don't owe you, you don't owe me. I'll fight with you to fix this mess. But from there, I don't know." He paused. "And if it comes down to it, don't save me if it means killing yourself. Because seriously, it won't matter. It's stupid for us both to die if we don't have to." Pit sighed lightly, but nodded and shook his twin's hand.

"We've got a clean slate," he agreed. "Thanks, Pittoo. After everything, I'm glad it's you I'm fighting with." Dark Pit attempted a smirk, but traces of a true smile made it in as well.

"Don't get all sappy on me," he replied as he pulled his hand back. "C'mon. Let's get going before Viridi yells at us for taking too long." Pit laughed and they both started toward the forest once again, side by side as the weight around them was lifted. Despite the chaos that had assaulted his life and sent him on this death-defying journey, Pit couldn't help but smile.


End file.
